BENGALURU: Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh expressed her displeasure at the delays in the works related to the Suburban Rail’s Corridor 2, also known as the Mallige line. This 25.01-km line will connect Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara. On Tuesday, Rajneesh inspected the progress of the project in the Kanakanagar stretch of Corridor 2, accompanied by K-RIDE Managing Director Dr. Manjula N. and senior K-RIDE officials.
She confronted the representatives of the contractor, asking them for the reasons behind the project delays. “We have come here to understand the problems. Only if the issues are clearly identified can we take steps to address them,” she stated.
She was informed that issues related to railway land encroachment, as well as the presence of water and power lines, are causing the delays. In a radius of 25 km, there are land issues at over 60 locations, and K-RIDE officials indicated that steps are being taken to resolve these.
Rajneesh directed that the water and power lines should be shifted with the support of the relevant departments. Officials stated that all measures are being taken to complete the Mallige line work by September 2026. As an interim goal, they reported that the works between Chikkabanavara and Yeshvanthpur will be completed sooner.
Dr. Manjula mentioned that a proposal has been submitted to the state government for the purchase of rolling stock for the Suburban Rail project, and a meeting regarding this will be scheduled soon.